FULLERTON, Calif. ­­– A special showing of the Academy Award nominated documentary The Garden comes to the Muck on Thursday, May 3. The showing is part of a free community gallery tour beginning at 7 p.m. for the center’s Don Normark exhibition. Also featured that evening will be guest speaker Rufina Juarez, a prominent figure in the film.

The Garden takes an inspiring look at the famous political and social battle over the United State’s largest community garden located in South Central Los Angeles. Started as a means of healing after the 1992 L.A. riots, the South Central Garden generated a cohesive community in one of the most devastated neighborhood. Juarez, one of two elected representatives of the South Central Farmers, will be speaking about her role as a community activist and farmer and her experience working with the film.
As well, the evening will feature a tour of Normark’s exhibit, which includes selections from his documentation of the South Central Farm struggle. Also featured is his widely known work at Chavez Ravine in the 1940s and photographs he took for Sunset magazine in the 1960s and 1970s.

Preceding the tour, the Muck will host the Placentia Chamber of Commerce mixer from 5-7 p.m.

The Muck commits to the mission of providing the community with experiences that stimulate creativity and imagination and conserving the heritage of the Muckenthaler Estate. Commissioned at an original cost of $35,000, the Muckenthaler home was built by Walter and Adella Muckenthaler in 1924 atop a hill in Fullerton. The 18-room, 8.5-acres mansion was donated to the city in 1965 by Harold Muckenthaler, who wished to see his childhood home used as a cultural center for the public. In 1999, the Muckenthaler received designation by the National Register of Historic Places.

The Muck hosts over 100 performances, gallery exhibits, and classes every year to over 30,000 people. It has also been nominated for the 2011 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. In 2008, it won the Best Historic Site and Best Cultural Center awards from OC Parenting Magazine. In

2009, it was received the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce Quality of Life award for best nonprofit organization. In 2010, the Muck was recognized as the Best Arts Program by Arts OC – the county-wide arts council, and Best Museum in the county in a reader’s poll by the Orange County Register.

The Muckenthaler Cultural Center Foundation, the Muck, is located at 1201 West Malvern Avenue, Fullerton California 92833. For more information about this or other events at the Muck, please visit www.TheMuck.org or call 714-738-3135.